In this image, a polar bear is standing on a small piece of melting ice surrounded by several other melting ice caps. The intent of this image is to reveal the destructive effect global warming has on animals’ habitats, particularly antarctic mammals. The photographer uses the design strategies of color, texture, and figure and ground relationship. Through color, the author displays the stark contrast between the diminishing white ice caps and the surrounding vast blue ocean, which emphasizes the severity of the problem. Using texture, the author captures the lumpy ice patch which should be as smooth as its counterparts: the sky and the water. Instead, the fluffy piece of land signifies the melting terrain which will soon merge with the ocean as a result of the increasing climate. Finally, utilizing the figure and ground relationship, the photographer showcases the imbalance between the polar bear, stranded to a single ice cap, and the rest of the arctic ocean surrounding it. All of these design strategies are employed to call attention to the grave impact of global warming on nature and other organisms. 

 

This image is of a baby with advertisements all over itself. The author this image wanted to show how much advertisement has been affecting the youth even  at an infant age. The author wanted to convey the negative aspects of how much advertisement we are exposed to from the day we are born onward. By using Unity and variety, the designer makes the different advertisements work together to show one message while having emphasis on the child. I noticed that the designer included all sorts of advertisement, from food, clothing, technology, and magazines. The message being directly conveyed is that we are walking billboards for companies when we wear their products or use them out in public. The designer wants to indirectly show that we are paying companies to advertise their own products which is contradictory. In addition, the author uses a smooth texture that makes the logos appear as if they were apart of the bay to show how closely knit we have become to these products. The smile on the babies face in contrast to the rest of the logo covered bodies shows how people remain unaware of how much of a walking advertisement they have become. 

   

In this visual, New York firefighters raise an American flag amidst the devastation of Ground Zero after the events of 9/11.The purpose of the image is to emphasize the strength of the American spirit during hard times such as 9/11. Seeing the firefighters raising the American flag elicits feelings of hope and patriotism that still prevail after the catastrophic events that unfolded and shook our nation. This image uses Figure and Ground Relationship with the firefighters with the flag being the focus among the rubble surrounding them; this emphasizes maintaining the American spirit among any devastating event. Moreover, this image also uses emphasis by including the phrase “true grit” in bold, capital letters on the front cover. Similar to how sentences are placed in certain places in writing, this phrase is placed within the photo to emphasize the epitome of what these brave firefighters are representing and communicating to the world. Also, the only colors among the dim grayness of the dust being red, white, and blue further conveys a patriotic mood. 

The photograph above depicts a miniature robot made of even smaller Amazon boxes, and the robot is giving a pink flower to a tiny glass frog on the open, clear ground. There is blurry, green grass in the background that is just as tall as the box robot. The robot and frog are looking at each other intently with apparent youthful curiosity. The creator’s intent of this image is to evoke feelings of adoration and love for the adorable box robot. It is possible that an underlying purpose of the image is to advertise and promote amazon delivery services by subconsciously showing the wonderful things one can do with Amazon boxes. The emphasis is put on the flower held by the robot as the center and focus of the image is the flower, which serves the purpose of focusing on the robot’s giving characteristic. It also evokes a pleasant, warm feeling from the generous, giving nature of the robot. Figure and Ground Relationship  
is employed through the fact that the foreground is put in focus and zoomed in so that the background is blurred and cannot be discerned without some analysis and reasoning. This makes the robot and frog seem much bigger than they actually are, and it provides the effect of giving them more significance as it is not easy to tell that the robot is even smaller than a person’s hand. The smooth textures of the robot and the frog adds to the youthfulness of these characters, and the sharp, crisp edges of the boxes makes the robot seem like a bold, strong being. These enhancements of the appearances of the characters in the image make them seem simple and lovable as they appear to be innocent about the dangers of reality in the world.

 

In this image, I see unity and strength in the face of adversity. I see a possible family of three holding onto each others’ hands as they seek refuge from being hosed down by what is assumed to be the authorities. I can make this assumption because this picture was taken during the Civil Rights Movement.The purpose of this photograph is to evoke a sense of sympathy for the people that were treated inhumanely simply because of the color of their skin. There are many visual strategies in this visual. Firstly, unity can be seen by not only the way the family is staying together hand-in-hand as they seek safety, but also by having a uniform background of a semi-blurred sea of people. Emphasis is placed on the family by capturing them in the forward ground with a larger scale. The whiteness of the water coming towards the family helps create contrast in order to put more focus on the family. The repetition of the the three trees correlates with the the three members of the family. This brings a sense of balance to the picture and perhaps represents the family being able to stand tall through this difficult time. In terms of color, even though black and white was the only option during that time period, it helped to de-emphasize the chaotic background to again bring focus on the subject of the image which is the family. The texture of the grass is clear in the light, but the detail of the texture fades as it gets closer to the subject bringing depth as well as emphasis to the family once again. In all, the photographer was able to capture the moment of a single family that viewers could now empathize with.